Closure spout



Sept. 11, 1956 H. E. REINHARDT, JR

CLOSURE SPO'u'T Filed April 18, 1955 Y INVENTOR. HERMAN.E. REINHARDT, JR.

A 7'7'ORNE Y United States Patent CLOSURE SPOUT Herman E. Reinhardt, Jr., Hasbrouck Heights, N. J., assignor to Boyle-Midway Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 18, 1955, Serial No. 501,863

Claims. (Cl. 222-537) This invention relates to a new and improved valved closure spout particularly adapted for use in dispensing liquids and free-flowing solids from containers. It is especially useful as a closure spout on cans containing oil, lighter fluid, or similar liquids, and it combines, in a single device, an effective valved closure and a spout permitting delivery of a liquid, gas or free-flowing solid being dispensed to the particular point desired.

My invention includes valve means which, upon rotation of the spout to the open position of the valve, permits the liquid or solid to escape from the container through a spout. When the spout is rotated to the closed position of the valve, escape of material from the container is effectively prevented. indicia are provided to show when the valve is open and when the valve is closed.

My improved valved closure spout comprises two separate interfitting elements which may be made out of some suitable, slightly resilient or flexible resin or plastic, such as polyethylene resin. One of the interfitting elements is constructed so as to permit it to be tightly seated in a reception seat or cavity formed in the other. While contact between the two is sufliciently tight to prevent leakage therethrough when the valve is closed, rotation of one element in the reception seat with respect to said seat-containing element is permitted. The lower or seatcontaining element is securely held in the wall of the container containing the material, which, for example, may be a can. Contact between abutting portions of the seat-containing element and can is such as to provide a tight fit, thereby preventing escape of material from the can other than by its passage through the valve when the latter is in the open position.

When the nozzle which is constructed as part of the upper or inserted element is rotated with reference to the lower seat-containing element, conduits within the two interfitting elements are placed in communication, thus permitting a liquid, gas or free-flowing solid to escape from the container through the valve conduits and out through the spout. This open position of the valve, wherein the conduits in the two interfitting elements are in communication, is indicated by matching indicia formed on each of the elements. When the spout is rotated to some other position wherein the indicating marks are not matched, or are not in registry with each other, then the conduits are not in communication within the interfitting elements, and the valve, being closed, prevents the escape of material from the can.

My invention as applied in providing a valved closure spout for a can containing oil, lighter fluid, or some other flowable material, is illustrated in the annexed drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the closure spout in position on the upper end surface of the can;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view, partly in elevation and partly in cross-section, of the two interfitting elements which when assembled as shown in Fig. 1 and inserted in the end or side wall of the can constitute my improved closure spout;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the valve in the open position, this view being taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the valve in its closed position taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the top end panel of the can shown in Fig. 1 with the closure spout removed.

As shown, for example, in Fig. 2, my improved valved closure spout includes the two cooperating interfitting elements, A and B, one of which is telescoped within the other when the closure spout is assembled in place on the can. One of these cooperating interfitting elements, the upper or spout-containing element, designated as A in Fig. 2, is so constructed as to provide the pouring spout 11 and the apertured cylindrical portion 12, the latter being formed with the enlarged square gripping flange 13 adjacent the lower part of spout 11 and between it and the cylindrical portion 12. The gripping flange 13 provides a finger grip to permit the user to rotate the spout element A with reference to the lower or seat-containing element B, thereby opening or closing the valve. This gripping flange, which may advantageously be square in outline, but may also be otherwise shaped, is formed with bent-over edge portion 14, thereby providing an annular seating groove 15 surrounding the cylindrical portion 12 and extending between cylinder 12 and the outer edge portion of the gripping flange 13. This outer edge portion may, if desired, be roughened to facilitate gripping with the fingers. The seating groove 15 is adapted to provide a seat into which may extend the upper edge portion of the lower element B.

Cylindrical portion 12 of element A is formed with the annular circumferentially-extending bulges 16 which help to provide a snug, leak-proof fit when the cylindrical portion 12 is inserted into the reception seat in the lower element B in assembling the valved closure spout. The spout element A, including the cylindrical portion 12, is drilled out or otherwise apertured to provide the central axially-extending discharge channel 17 extending through the spout 11, this channel being formed with the axial enlarged entrance 18 communicating with channel 19 formed on the bottom end surface 20 of the cylindrical portion 12. The channel 19 may be conveniently constructed in the bottom 20 of cylindrical portion 12 by slitting or otherwise forming a narrow groove extending across a semi-diameter of bottom 20, thus providing a continuous conduit between the enlarged entrance 1'8 and the outer circumferential edge of cylindrical portion 12. Depending from the edge portion 14 of the gripping flange 13, at one point thereof, and in line with the grooved channel 19, is an indicating rib 21 which may merely be a short finger-like downward extension of the gripping flange. This rib 21 cooperates with a similar rib formed on the element B to indicate the open and closed positions of the valve, as will subsequently be explained.

The lower cooperating seat-containing element B, as shown in Fig. 1, is adapted to be seated in the upper end panel 23 of the can 24. As shown in Figs. 3 and 6, aperture 25 is provided in this end surface, this aperture being formed by bending the metal so as to provide an annular depending flange 26 which extends into the can. The lower element B is securely seated in the can, being formed with a bent-over lip portion 27 which extends over and around the lower edge portion of depending flange 26, thereby providing a tight seal.

As will be evident from Figs. 2 and 3, the lower element His constructed with the hollow cylindrical portion 29, providing a receptionseat for element A, and .with the solid lower tapering portion 30 adapted to seat within the aperture 25 of the can. This tapering portion 30 terminates in the'bentover lip 2'7, coacting with the edge portion of depending flange 26 as previously described.

The interior side wall of hollow cylindrical portion 29 is formed with circumferentially extending grooves *31, 32 adapted to receive the bulges 16 of element A, thus providing a tight seal when the cylindrical portion 12 of element A is seated within the hollow cylindrical portion 29 of element B in the assembled valved closure spout as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The lower tapering portion 30 of element B is formed to provide the centrally-disposed axially-extending aperture 34, of relatively large diameter, communicating with conduit 35 of smaller diameter, the latter being eccentri cally disposed with reference to aperture 34. The conduit 35 extends from aperture 34 into the interior or reception seat of the hollow cylindrical portion 29 and, as shown, is positioned adjacent the circumferential edge of the aperture.

The lower or seat-containing element B is also provided with indicating rib 36, disposed in the extension of a line joining the central axis of the element and conduit 35, the rib being on the same side of the outer circumference of hollow cylindrical portion 29 toward which said conduit extends. When the indicating rib 21 on spout element A is in line with the indicating rib 36 on element B, conduit 35 is placed in communication with conduit 17 by means of the grooved channel 19. Whenthe two ribs 21 and 36 are in alignment, it is evident that the valve in the closure spout is open and liquid, gas or flowable solid material in the can 24 will escape through spout 11. This results from the fact that spout element A has been rotated to such a position with respect to element B that grooved channel 19 is in communication with the eccentrically-disposed conduit 35 in element B, the'latter, through the larger aperture 34, being in communication with the interior of the can. This situation is illustrated in Fig. 4. When the two ribs are out of alignment, and are disposed at different positions along the circumference, the spout element A has been rotated so that its grooved channel 19 is not in communication with conduit 35 and the valve is closed, since there is no u conduitproviding continuous communication between the aperture 34 and the conduit 17. This relative position of the two elements A and B is illustrated in Fig. 5.

I claim:

1. A valved closure spout including two interfitting cooperating elements, one seated within the other, said elements being adapted to be axially rotated, one with reference to the other, said closure spout comprising, in combination: a lower seat-containing element adapted to fitwithin an aperture in a container to provide a leakproof seal therewith, said seat-containing element being provided with a centrally-extending axial aperture extending part way through said element, and with a communicating eccentrically-disposed smaller aperture extending from said axial aperture through the remainder of said element; and a spout element formed with an extending pouring spout and with a lower portion adapted to seat within said seat-containing element, said spout element being provided with a central axial aperture extending therethrough, and with a grooved channel extending from the bottom of said axial aperture to the external circumference of said element, said grooved channel in said spout element and said eccentrically-disposed aperture in said seat-containing element being adapted to be placed in communication with each other atone relative rotationalposition of said elements whereby continuous communication is provided from the interior of said container through said spout, and being adapted to be positioned out of communication with each other at another relative rotational position of said elements whereby said communication is interrupted and passage of material from within said container through said spout is prevented.

2. A valved closure spout including two interfitting cooperating elements, one seated partially within the other, said elements being adapted to be axially rotated, one with reference to the other, which closure spout comprises, in combination: a lower seat-containing element adapted to fit within an aperture in a container to provide a leak-proof seal therewith, said seat-containing element being provided at one end thereof with a reception seat adapted to receive said other cooperating element, said reception seat extending only part way through said seat-containing element, and said element being further formed with a centrally-extending axial aperture extending part way through said element, and with a communicating eccentrically-disposed smaller aperture extending from said axial aperture through the remainder of said element and into said reception seat; and a spout element formed with an extending pouring spout and with a lower portion adapted to seat in said reception seat in said seat-containing element, said spout element being provided with a central axial aperture extending therethrough, and with a grooved channel extending from the bottom of said axial aperture to the external circumference of said element, said grooved channel in said spout element and said axiallydisposed aperture in said seat-containing element being adapted to be placed in communication with each other at one relative rotational position of said elements whereby continuous communication is provided between the interior of said container to said axial aperture extending through said spout, and being adapted to be placed out of communication with each other at another relative rotational position of said elements whereby said communication is interrupted and passage of material from within said container through said aperture is prevented.

3. A valved closure spout including two interfitting cooperating elements, one seated partially within'the-other, said elements being adapted to be axially rotated, one with referenceto the other, which closure spout comprises, in combination: a lower seat-containing element adapted to fit within an aperture in a container to provide a leakproof seal therewith, said seat-containing element being provided atone end thereof with a reception seat adapted to receive said other cooperating element, said reception seat extending only part way through said seat-containing element, and said element being further formed with a centrally-extending axial aperture extending part way through said element, and with a communicating eccentrically-disposed smaller aperture extending from said axial aperture through the remainder of said element and into said reception seat; and a spout element formed with an extending pouring spout and with a lower portion adapted to seat in said reception seat in said seat-containing element, said spout element being provided with a central axial aperture extending therethrough, and with a grooved channel extending from the bottom of said axial aperture to the external circumference of said element, said grooved channel in said spout element and said axiallydisposed aperture in said seat-containing element being adapted to be placed in communication with each other at one relative rotational position of said elements Whereby continuous communication is provided between the interior of said container to said axial aperture extending through said spout, and being adapted to be placed out of communication with each other at another relative rotational position of said elements whereby said communication is interrupted and passage of material from Within said container through said aperture is prevented; and indicia formed on both of said cooperating elements for indicating when said conduits are in combination with each Other and When said conduits are out of communication.

4. A valved closure spout including two interfitting cooperating elements, one seated partially within the other, said elements being adapted to be axially rotated, one with reference to the other, which closure spout comprises, in combination: a lower seat-containing element adapted to fit within an aperture in a container to provide a leak-proof seal therewith, said seat-containing element being provided at one end thereof with a reception seat adapted to receive a portion of said other cooperating element, said reception seat extending only part way through said seat-containing element, said element being further formed to provide a centrally-extending axial aperture serving as conduit extending part way through said element, and with a communicating eccentrically-disposed smaller aperture extended from said axial aperture through the remainder of said element; and a spout element formed with an extending pouring spout, a gripping flange, and a lower portion extending below said gripping flange and adapted to seat in said reception seat in said seat-containing element, said spout element being provided with conduit means including a central axial aperture extending therethrough and a grooved channel extending from the bottom of said axial aperture to the external circumference of said element, said grooved channel in said spout element and said eccentrically-disposed aperture in said seat-containing element being adapted to be placed in communication with each other at one relative rotational position of said elements whereby continuous communication is provided from the interior of said container through said spout, and being adapted to be positioned out of communication with each other at another relative rotational position of said elements whereby said continuous communication is interrupted and passage of material from within said container through said spout prevented.

5. A valved closure spout including two interfitting cooperating elements, one seated partially within the other, said elements being adapted to be axially rotated, one with reference to the other, which closure spout comprises, in combination: a lower seat-containing element adapted to fit within an aperture in a container to provide a leak-proof seal therewith, said seat-containing element being formed with a reception seat, and with a centrally-extending axial aperture providing a conduit extending part way through said element, said seat-containing element also being formed with an eccentrically-disposed smaller aperture extending from said axial aperture through the remainder of said element to said reception seat, and with an indicating rib positioned on its outer circumference on the radial line joining said eccentrically-disposed aperture and the axis of said element; and a spout element formed with an extending pouring spout and with a lower portion adapted to seat within said reception seat of said seat-containing element, said spout element being formed with a gripping flange having a depending indicating finger, said gripping flange being positioned between said spout and said lower portion, said spout element being further provided with a central axially-extending aperture and with a grooved channel extending from the bottom of said axial aperture to the external circumference of said element in line with said depending finger, said grooved channel in said spout element and said eccentrically-disposed aperture in said seat-containing element being adapted to be placed in communication with each other at one relative rotational position of said elements whereby continuous communication is provided from the interior of said container through said spout, and being adapted to be positioned out of communication with each other at another relative rotational position of said elements whereby said communication is interrupted, said indicating rib on said seat-containing element and said depending finger of said spout element serving, when in registry with each other, to indicate that said apertures are in communication with each other and that material can pass out of said container through said spout.

No references cited. 

